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Italy to fund Ethiopia – Eritrea railway feasibility study – Abiy

Italy has pledged to finance a feasibility study for a planned rail line
linking the Eritrean port city of Massawa and the Ethiopian capital
Addis Ababa, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed disclosed on Monday.
Abiy, who arrived in Rome on official duty said Italy had agreed to fund
the first phase of the study. He was speaking during a joint press
briefing with his Italian counterpart, Giuseppe Conte.

Financing would be the first step to a route which would be crucial to
trade between the two countries. No further details have been given as
to how much the project will cost or a time line.

An analyst commenting on the development said Italy had only agreed to
finance the study. Biruk Terrefe added that the route will go through
Mekelle, capital of the northern Tigray region then through to Awash
(via Kolombocha) and to Addis Ababa (via Adama.)

Ethiopia’s most crucial rail line is the line that links Addis Ababa to
Djibouti. The Chinese-built line launched in 2016 is the main import and
export channel for Ethiopia. Majority of the landlocked nations’ trade
comes via Djibouti.

Abiy had earlier met with the Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the
Quirinal Palace with both leaders discussing historical relations and
bilateral cooperation in key areas.

The PM’s very busy day saw him hold meetings with other international
development partners. He visited the St. Stephen of the Abyssinians
Church located in the Vatican City State before meeting with the Holy
Father Pope Francis.https://www.geezgo.com/sps/52689